Semiautomatic nozzle adjustment for suction cleaners



June 28, 1949.

Filed May 5, 1943 H. B. WHITE SEMIAUTOMATIC NOZZLE ADJUSTMENT FOR SUCTION CLEANERS 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 1221273113. White INVENTOR.

A TTOR/VEY June 28, 1949. H. B. WHITE 2,474,448

SEMIAUTOMATIC NOZZLE ADJUSTMENT FOR SUCTION CLEANERS Filed May 5, 1943 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. Harry BWlzite ATTORNEY June 28, 1949 w TE 2,474,448

SEMIAUTOMATIC NOZZLE ADJUSTMENT FOR SUCTION CLEANERS Filed May 5, 1943 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 INVENTOR. Harryli While .A TTORNE Y June 28, 1949. H. B. WHITE 7 2,474,448

SEMIAUTOMATIC NOZZLE ADJUSTMENT FOR SUCTION CLEANERS Filed May 5, 1943 '4 Sheets-Sheet 4 INVENTOR. JhrryB. Wite v BY ATTORNEY vide a new and improved suction cleaner.

Patented June 28, 1949 UNITED STATES PATENT orrlce SEMIAUTOMATIC NOZZLE ADJUSTMENT FOR SUCTION CLEANERS poration of Ohio Application May 5, 1943, Serial No. 485,888

18 Claims. 1

cleaners in general and more particularly to a new and novel height adjustment for a suction cleaner. More specifically, the invention relates to a semi-automatic nozzle height adjustment in which a cleaner is automatically positioned properly for cleaning upon a supporting surface covering by the operator merely exerting an unmeasured force upon the cleaner or upon some part thereof, no judgment upon the part of the operator being required.

It is an object of the present invention to pro- It is another object of the invention to provide new and improved semi-automatic nozzle height adjustment in a suction cleaner. A still further object of the invention is to provide a suction cleaner of the type having means to adjust the nozzle automatically for eflicient cleaning upon a covering which supports it upon the reception of an unmeasured actuating force from theoperator. A still further object of the'invention is to provide a suction cleaner having semi-automatic nozzle-height-adjusting means which'are characterized by the inclusion of a surface covering gauge or feeler which does not support the cleaner and which functions, during nozzle height adjustment only, to determine the plane of the top of the surface covering. A still further object of the invention is to provide a semi-automatic nozzle height adjustment in which the receipt by the cleaner of an operator-exerted actuating force results in the lowering of a feeler to determine the top plane of the surface covering to be cleaned and which effects the proper relationship of the adjustment parts so that the cleaner is properly positioned to clean upon the supporting covering. A further object of the invention is to provide a semi-automatic nozzle height adjustment in which a downward force exerted upon the machine proper produces a readjustment of the nozzle height in accordance with the characteristics of the supporting surface covering. A still further object of the invention is to provide a suction cleaner in which a downward force upon the cleaner body results in the release of a surface covering gauge or feeler which determines the top plane of the surface covering and which repositions the nozzle height adjustment mech anism so that when returned to operation the nozzle is properly positioned. These and other more specific objects will appear upon reading the following specification and claims and upon considering in connection therewith the attached drawings to which they'relate.

Referring now to the drawings in which'prefered embodiments of the invention are disclosed:

Figure 1 is a side view of a suction cleaner constructed in accordance with the present invention positioned upon a bare surface or very thin covering, certain parts being broken away to illustrate the semiautomatic nozzle height adjustment;

Figure 2 is a bottom view of the cleaner illustrated in Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a partial side view of the cleaner illustrated in Figure 1 when removed to a thick surface covering and without a re-adjustment of the nozzle height;

Figure 4 is a view similar to Figure 3 and illustrates the relationship of parts during the adjustment with the top plane of the surface covering being gauged by the surface covering feeler;

Figure 5 is a view similar to Figure 3 but with the nozzle height adjusted and the nozzle lifted to proper cleaning position for the underlying supporting covering; I

Figure 6 is a view looking in the direction of the arrows upon the line 6-6 of Figure 2.

Figure '7 is a vertical section upon the line 1-1 of Figure 1; y

Figure 8 is a side elevation, with certainparts broken away, showing a suction clearner," fonstructed in accordance with a secondpie ferred Figure 11 is a view similar to Figure 9 with the downward force upon the machine removed and with the nozzle height adjustment parts re-engaged and the nozzle positioned at the proper height for cleaning upon a supporting surface.

Early forms of nozzle height adjustments for suction cleaners comprised manually adjustable means in which the degree of adjustment was determined by the judgment of the operator. A suction cleaner is a relatively low device positioned close to the supporting surface and in order to make such an adjustment the operator was required to bend over the machine and, while in this rather uncomfortable position, .to operate an adjustment which produced the raising or the lowering of the nozzle into a position which, in his opinion, was proper for the surface covering to be cleaned. Usually, because of the dimculty of making the adjustment, the adjustment functions to readjust the position of the cleaner nozzle relative to the supporting surface and in accordance with determinations automatically made during the adjustment. The change in nozzle position is independent of the operator's judgment and the amount of force received.

Semi-automatic nozzle height adjustments in the past have usually made use of the nozzle itself as the means to gauge or determine the plane of the top of the supporting surface. The nozzle lips are relatively wide and are capable of supporting the front end of the machine with but'relatively little sink into the supporting covering but there inevitably will be some. In the semi-automatic nozzle height adjustment constructed in accordance with the present invention a surface covering gauge or feeler is provided which does not support the weight of the cleaner or any part thereof when making its determination as to the top plane of the underlying surface covering. The receipt of the actuating force from the operator results in the lowering of the gauge or feeler into contacting relationship with-the surface covering and its determination of the surface covering position is unaffected by the downward force of gravity acting upon the cleaner as in the earlier semi-automatic nozzle height adjustments of this type.

Referring again to the drawings, and to Figures 1 to 7 inclusive in particular, the first preferred embodiment of the invention is illustrated and is seen to comprise a suction cleaner which includes the nozzle I provided with surface-contacting lips 2 and 3. Nozzle I is interiorly connected through an air passageway 4 to a fan chamber 5 which houses a rotating suction-creating fan 6 carried by the extended lower end of a motor shaft 1. Fan 6 draws cleaning air through the nozzle I and exhausts it from the fan chamber 5 via the exhaust outlet 8 into a removably attached dust bag 9. The driving motor is unshown but is positioned within the motor hood II immediately above the fan chamber 5 and the extreme lower end of its shaft 1 is formed as a pulley surface which drives a power-transmitting belt I2 connected to the agitator I3 in the nozzle I. Agitator I3 includes both rigid beater elements and flexible brush elements and is adapted, in the cleaning of the surface covering, to brush and beat, for the purpose of dislodging foreign material therefrom, a surface covering which is lifted by the nozzle suction into contact with the lips 2 and 3.

The cleaner ismovably supported upon front wheels I5 and rear wheels I4. The latter are pivotally carried upon the underside of the machine upon a bracket It, the forwardly extending arms of which abut the underside of the fan chamber 5, being normally. held thereagainst by the downward force exerted by a coil spring I1 between the rear of the pivoted bracket and the underside of the fan chamber 5. One of the forwardly extending arms of the bracket I3,

which arms are indicated at I3, normally extends in obstructing relationship into a transversely extending passageway I9 connected to the fan chamber 3 which is adapted to receive and seat the converter element of a dusting tool unit when the machine is in use as an ofl-thefloor-cleaner. The spring I1 and the mounting bracket I3 are largely concealed, when the machine is viewed from above, by the presence of skirts 2I which extend around the sides of the machine from the ends of the nozzle I.

As in the usual cleaner a pivoted handle, indicated at 20, is provided by which the machine can be propelled upon the supporting wheels I5 and I4.

In this first embodiment of the invention it is the front wheels I5 which are adjustably positioned with respect to the cleaner body and which are vertically adjusted by the semi-automatic nozzle-height-positioning means to provide the proper nozzle height adjustment. Front wheels I5 are pivotally carried upon arms 22 of a crank shaft 23 which is pivotally mounted upon the underside of the machine in bearings 24. One of the arms 22 is formed with a rearwardly projecting abutment 25 which is adapted to contact the underside of the converter passageway I9 to limit the downward movement of the wheels I5 under the actuation of a coil spring 21 which abuts against the arm 22. Spring 21 is not sufliciently strong to support the entire weight of the front of the machine upon the supporting wheels I5 but has sufficient strength to force the wheels I5 to a firm foundation in the supporting covering when the front wheels are released from their normal cleaner-supporting function as is clearly illustrated in Figure 4. Consequently, surfacecontacting lips 2 and 3 readily support that portion of the weight not supportable by spring 21 with very slight or no penetration of the carpet during adjustment of the nozzle.

Adjacent one front supporting wheel I5, and in contact with the arm 22 upon which it is mounted, is a pivoted feeler-lever 3|. Lever 3| is pivotally carried by horizontal pin 32 on the underside of the cleaner casing and its forward end is formed as an abutment 33 which is adapted to contact the arm 22. Rearwardly of its pivot pin 33 feeler lever 3I extends downwardly and is formed with a smooth surface 34 which is adapted to contact and rest upon the top plane of an underlying surface covering when a nozzle height adjustment is being made. Surface 34 is of sumcient area to support the feeler element 3I without appreciable penetration into the supporting surface. At its rearward end lever 3I is formed as a toothed surface 36 which extends substantially vertically,.its exact curvature not beingof the essence so long as there is a vertical spread between its upper and lower extremities.

Also pivoted upon the pin 32 is a pedal or foot lever 31 which extends rearwardly beyond the toothed surface 35 to have its end connected to a coil spring 33 which is supported from the underside of the overlying skirt III and which at all times draws the foot lever 31 upwardly. Lever 31 is formed forwardly of the spring 38 with a pedal extremity 33 which extends outwardly and below the adjacent skirt 2I to the side of the cleaner where it is adapted to receive a downward force exerted by the operator. A laterally extending fixed pin 4I fits slidably within a slot 42 in the foot lever 31 and limits the downward movement thereof under an operator-exerted force and also limits its upward movement under the action of the coil spring 33. Lever 31 itself carries an outwardly extending abutment pin 43 which serves as stop means for the rear end of the feeler lever 3| under certain conditions as will become apparent.

A pawl 46 is pivoted upon a pin 41 on the foot lever 31 and is so constructed and arranged as to engage the toothed surface 36 of the feeler lever 3|. Toothed end 36 of lever 3| cooperates with pawl 46 to provide a selectively engageable clutch as will become fully apparent hereinafter. Pawl 46 is provided with a ramp surface 43 which rides a fixed pin 49 carried on the body of the cleaner, being spring-held thereagainst at all-times by the action of a coil spring seated upon its pivot pin 41. Ramp 48 is so contoured that at its end. as the lever 31 is pivoted, the pawl 46 is cammed toward or from the toothed surface 36 of feeler lever 3|, depending upon whether the foot lever 31 is moving up or down, respectively. In the normal operation of the machine, the foot lever 31 is held in its uppermost position at its rear end by the action of the spring 38 the upper end of which is connected to the cleaner body. Also, the pawl 46 is in engagement with the toothed surface 36 of the feeler lever 3|, and the front wheels I 5 are positioned by the contact of the lever abutment surface 33 with the wheel-carrying arm 22.

The adjustment of the nozzle height of a cleaner constructed in accordance with this first embodiment of the invention is accomplished as follows: The cleaner having been in operation upon a very thin surface covering or bare floor,

as illustrated in Figure 1, has its nozzle positioned relative to the supporting surface as shown in that figure. Let us assume that the machine is then propelled onto a thicker surface covering. The mouth of the nozzle, that is, the plane of the nozzle lips 2 and 3, will now be too low and the relationship will be as illustrated in Figure 3. The machine will be hard to propel and effective cleaning will be impossible as there is insufllcient room to lift the carpet the desired distance above the supporting surface underlying the covering for the most effective cleaning, particularly when using a rotating agitator. These facts will readily be apparent to the operator who thereupon exerts a downward force upon the extremity 39 of the pedal or foot lever 31. As the pedal 31 is forced downwardly in opposition to spring 38. pawl 46 of the clutch is cammed rearwardly under the action of the ramp 48 on its guiding pin 49, and disengages the toothed portion 36 of the feeler lever 3|. Feeler lever 3| then pivots downwardly into contact, at its surface-contacting portion 34, with the top of the underlying surface covering and the relationship of the parts is as illustrated in Figure 4. Under these conditions, the cleaner weight is carried by the rear supporting wheels I 4 and by the nozzle lips 2 and 3. The front supporting wheels I5, being relieved of the load imposed by spring-38 upon the release of the lever 3|, rest upon the surface covering and penetrate thereinto under the action of the coil spring 21 so as to seat firmly in the covering.

The pivot pin 32 of the foot lever 31 is carried by the cleaner body which, during the adjustment operation, is supported by the front lips 2 and 3 and by the rear wheels l4. The broad front lips 2 and 3 will not sink appreciably into the covering but the rear wheels M will penetrate to different extents in different types of covering. In Figure 1, for example, the rear wheel l4 was upon the top of a bare surface or a very thin covering. In Figure 3, however, wheel i4 is observed to penetrate appreciably into the relatively thick covering. Accordingly, upon a very thick covering the pivot pin 32 will be lower relative to the top plane of that supporting surface than upon a thin covering. In either case, however, the surface-contacting portion 34 of the feeler lever 3| will rest upon the top surface and without appreciable penetration therein. It is clear, therefore, that the angularity of the feeler lever 3| relative to the cleaner body during the adjustment operation will be determined by the relative heights of the pivot pin 32 and, the contact surface 34. If the covering is very thin the toothed portion 36 at the rear of the lever 3| will be lower than upon a thick covering.

Referring again to Figure 4 which shows the cleaner at the mid-point of its adjustment operation, the feeler 34 is resting immediately upon the top of the covering and the pedal-carried pawl 46 is out of contact with the toothed surface 36 of the lever 3|, the pedal 31 being held in the lower position by the operator. The operator can now remove the downward force and permit the foot lever .31 to be pulled upwardly toward the cleaner body under the action of the spring 38. As the lever moves upwardly the pawl 46 is first cammed toward the toothed surface 36 by the action of the ramp 48 riding the guide pin 43 against which it is held by the torsion spring 5|. The clutch selectively re-engages when pawl 46 engages the toothed surface 36 at a point dependent upon the angular position of the lever 3|. Thus, the rear wheel M has sunk appreciably into the surface covering, thereby indicating a deep soft covering, the lever 3| will be positioned at a relatively high position with respect to the cleaner body and the pawl 46 will engage the toothed surface 36 near the bottom thereof. On a very thin covering, however, lever 3| would be relatively low and pawl46, upon being cammed into engagement with the toothed surface 36, would engage it near the top, as in Figure 1.

Clearly the pawl engages the toothed surface selectively as determined by the position of the feeler lever 31 which position is in turn determined by the type of covering upon which the machine rests at the time the nozzle height adjustment is made.

The pawl 46 having engaged the toothed surface 36 of feeler-lever 3|, the continued upward movement of the pedal 31 under the actuation of the tension coil spring 36 results in the feeler-lever 3| being pivoted in a counter-clockwise direction, as viewed in Figures 1, 3, 4, and 5. The forward or abutment end 33 of lever 3| contacts thecrank arm 22 and forces that arm and the wheels l5 connected thereto downwardly resulting in the raising of the nozzle. This downward movement of the supporting wheels continues until the slot 42 in the pedal 31 contacts the fixed pin 4| which prevents further pivotal movement of the foot lever. The parts remain in this position until the next adjustment and the cleaner is in condition for operation.

Figures 8 to 11 illustrate another embodiment ner, the adjustment being initiated by a force exerted downwardly upon the rear of the machine, either through the pivoted, cleaner propelling handle 20 or upon the main casing itself.

In this embodiment of the invention the rear wheels I are carried by bracket I6 which is pivotally mounted upon the under side of the cleaner by a pin 6!. As in the first embodiment a coil spring 11 urges the bracket downwardly and the forwardly extending arms l8 underlie the fan chamber. A transverse shaft 62 rotatably mounts the wheels 14 upon the bracket 16 and an abutment seat or shoulder 63 is provided upon the underside of the exhaust outlet 8 to limit the upward movement of the wheels it toward the cleaner body.

Pivoted at the side of the fan chamber upon a pin 66 is a feeler-lever 61 provided with a surface-contacting portion 68 and a rear toothed portion or clutch element 69. In its general outline feeler-lever 61 is very similar to feeler-lever 3| of the first embodiment, save only the absence of the crank arm-abutting forward portion. As is true of feeler 31, member 6! acts as a freely floating feeler having one part pivoted to the cleaner body and a surface contacting part 68 adapted to float on the surface of the carpet when the clutch is disengaged. Immediately above the surface-contacting portion 68 the feeler lever 61 is formed with a slot H into which extends a pin 12 rigid with the wheel-carrying bracket l6. With the rear of the machine depressed so that the abutment 63 contacts the wheel axle 62 the slot H is of sufficient extent to permit the feeler lever 61 to assume an angular position relative to the cleaner body as determined by the contact of its surface-contacting portion 68 with the underlying supporting surface.

To cooperate with the toothed clutch portion 69 of the feeler lever 61 in fixing the height of the rear wheels M relative to the cleaner body in operation, there is provided a cooperating clutch element comprising a pawl 73 which is pivoted upon a pin 14 on the underside of the cleaner body skirt 2|. A torsion spring 16 at the pivot pin 14 at all times urges pawl 13 toward the toothed surface 69 of the feeler lever 61. The adjustment construction is completed by the presence of a ramp 11 at the back edge of the bracket it which is so positioned as to move into engagement with the lower, cammed end of the pawl 13 to disengage the clutch pawl from the toothed surface 69 as the rear of the machine is forced downwardly from the position illustrated in Figure 9 to that illustrated in Figure 10. With the clutch thus disengaged, it is clear that the feeler lever 61 will be free to rest upon the supporting surface, as illustrated in Figure 10.

The adjustment of the height of the nozzle in a suction cleaner embodying nozzle-height-adjusting means constructed in accordance with this last described embodiment of the invention is as follows. Starting with the machine upon a bare surface or very thin rug, as illustrated in Figure 8, the height of the nozzle is determined by the locking action of the pawl 13 with the toothed portion 59 of lever 61. Lever 51 is urged downwardly by its pin and slot connection at H, 12 with the wheel-carrying bracket it which is directly urged downwardly by the spring ll. Actually, upon a bare surface, the nozzle is in its lowermost position and the forward arms [8 may be in abutment with the underside of the fan chamber 5, thereby limiting further downward movement of the rear wheels M in addition to the restraint of the pawl I3. This is incidental, however.

Let us assume that the machine is moved from the thin covering or bare surface of Figure 8 to a deeper and thicker surface covering as illustrated in Figure 9. The nozzle is now too low for proper cleaning and this fact being recognized by the operator, he exerts a depressing force upon the rear of the machine, either through the cleaner handle or upon the rear of the cleaner casing. As the machine casing moves downwardly, compressing the coil spring ll, the bracket I6 and rear wheels I! move upwardly. In so doing, ramp I1 contacts the sloped lower end of pawl 13 and cams it from the toothed surface 69 to the position illustrated in- Figure 10. 'I'hereupon the feeler 61 drops downwardly and its surface-contacting portion 68 rests upon the top plane of the underlying surface covering. As in the first embodiment the relative angular position of the feeler-lever relative to the cleaner body will be determined by the relative displacement between the supporting means and the top surface of the surface covering as determined by the feeler. On a very deep or thick rug the rear of the feeler-lever will be held relatively high by the supporting surface, the supporting wheels sinking appreciably into the covering, whereas on a thin surface the supporting wheels will not sink so far into the covering and the toothed surface at the rear of the feeler' lever 61 will be relatively low. As distinguished from the first embodiment, however, the nozzle does not rest upon the surface covering during the adjusting operation but instead is elevated as shown in Figure 10.

The plane of the top of the surface covering having been determined by the feeler-lever 61, the downward force upon the rear of the casing is then withdrawn. The rear of the machine moves upwardly and the pawl 13 is urged, by the spring 16, into contact with the toothed surface 69. Thereafter the bracket l6 and rear wheels l4 move downwardly under the actuation of the coil spring 11 until the pin 12 contacts the lower end of the slot H in the feeler-leve'r 81. The pivotal movement downwardly of the feeler-lever 61 being prevented by the pawl I3, the wheel-carrying bracket [6 is then locked in position.

In the event that the feeler-contacting surface 68 determines that the plane of the top surface of the supporting covering was relatively low, that is, the surface was bare or was covered by a very thin surface covering, the pawl 13 would contact the toothed surface 69 near the top thereof and the wheel-carrying bracket l6 would be permitted to move downwardly a considerable distance before being stopped by the contact of pin 12 with the bottom of slot H. In a case, however, where the surface-contacting feeler 68 determines that it was upon a thick and deep rug, and that the top surface thereof was relatively high as compared to the position of the supporting wheels, then the pawl 13 would contact the toothed surface 69 near the lower end thereof and the wheel-carrying bracket l6 would be limited to much more restricted downward movement.

As contrasted with the first embodiment the release of the operator-exerted force results in the lowering of the nozzle to an extent determined by the engagement of the nozzle-heightadjusting elements. In the first embodiment, the release of the operator-exerted force resulted in the raising of the nozzle a pre-determined dis- 9 tance. In both adjustments, however, the final position of the nozzle is determined by the relative position of adjustment parts as determined, during the exertion by the operator of a downward force, by gauging the relative heights of the top surface of the surface covering to be cleaned and of'certain parts of the machine.

I claim:

1. In a suction cleaner, a body including a nozzle having a lip, said nozzle adapted to rest upon a surface during the adjusting operation, a wheel, means pivotally mounting said wheel on said body, a lever to force said means downwardly and including a surface-contacting portion adapted to rest substantially on the top of an underlying surface to position said lever relative to said body in a released condition and while resting on a supporting surface free of the weight of said body, a foot pedal, cooperating clutch means on said lever and pedal to connect said parts for joint movement and to disconnect said parts for independent movement, means to open said clutch upon the downward movement of said pedal under an operator exerted downward force to enable the surface contacting portion of said lever to drop onto the surface free fromthe weight of said body and to close said clutch upon the upward movement of said pedal, and means to effect the upward movement of said pedal to close said clutch selectively under the control of the surface contacting portion and to effect the Joint movement of said pedal and lever to adjust said wheel relative to said body, whereby the nozzle is raised above its position on the surface .to an extent determined by the nozzle height adiilusting elements for optimum cleaning condiion.

2. In a suction cleaner, a body including a nozzle having a lip, a wheel, means pivotally mounting said wheel on said body, a lever to force said means downwardly and including a surface-contacting portion adapted to rest substantially on the top of an underlying surface to position said lever relative to said body in a released condition free of the weight of said body and a toothed portion, a foot pedal, a pivoted pawl on said pedal adapted to seat selectively on said toothed portion .as determined by the position of said lever at the time of engagement and while resting upon an underlying surface, means to effect engagement of said pawl with said toothed portion upon the movement of said pedal in one direction and to effect disengagement upon the movement of said pedal in the opposite direction to enable said lever to drop freely at its surface-contacting portion onto an underlying surface covering, and means to move said pedal to engage said pawl with said toothed sector and thereafter move said lever.

3. In a suction cleaner, a body including a nozzle, a supporting wheel, a bracket pivotally mounting said wheel on said body, spring means urging said bracket away from said body, a feeler element pivoted on said body and adapted to be supported by an underlying surface in a disengaged condition, means providing a lost motion connection between said bracket and said feeler element, selectively engageable means interconnecting said body and said feeler element operative when engaged to fix the position of said wheel relative to said body, and means to compress said spring and disengage said selectively engageable means and release said feeler element upon the exertion by the operator of a downward force on said body, whereby upon re- 10 moval of the operator applied force said spring means operates to separate said wheel from the body by an increment depending upon the point of reengagement of said selectively engageable means as determinedby said released feeler.

4. In a suction cleaner, a body including a nozzle, a supporting wheel, a bracket pivotally mounting said wheel on said body, spring means operatively connected to the body and the bracket for urging said bracket away from said body, a feeler element pivoted on said body and adapted to be supported by an underlying surface in a disengaged condition and to be raised thereabove, said feeler element including clutch means, means providing a lost motion connection between said bracket and said feeler element, cooperating clutch means carried by said body to engage said feeler element clutch means selectively to fix the position of said wheel relative to said body, and means to compress said spring and disengage said clutch to enable said feeler element to drop onto an underlying-supporting surface in response to a downward force on said cleanerv body, whereby upon removal of said down-v ward force said spring means operates to lower said wheel relative to the body by an increment depending upon the point of re-engagement of said cooperating clutch means as determined by said released feeler. a

5. In a suction cleaner, a body includinga nozzle, 9, wheel to support said body upon a surface covering, and'means to adjust said wheel relative to said body in accordance with the characteristics of said covering comprising an adjustable connection between said wheel and said body, positioning means normally securing said connection in a fixed relationship to said body*during cleaner operation and including a feeler element pivoted to said cleaner and operable when released to rest on an underlying surface independent of the weight of said cleaner, means to release said positioning means and said feeler element to enable the latter to drop freely upon a supporting surface, spring-actuated means to i -engage said positioning means selectively as determined by the position of said feeler element when resting upon a supporting surface and move said positioning means and said nozzle to their new positions as predetermined by the engagement of said spring-actuated means with said positioning means.

6. .In a suction cleaner, a body including a nozzle having lips, a wheel, operator-operable nozzle adjusting means operable to adjust said nozzle to a predetermined height above a surface to be cleaned including mounting means movably mounting said wheel on said body, means to position said wheel relative to said body comprising a feeler-lever operatively mounted on the "body and arranged to contact and control the position of said mounting means upon release of an operator-applied force on the nozzle-adjusting means and including a surface-contacting portion adapted to rest substantially on the top of an underlying surface, cooperating clutch means operatively mdunted on the cleaner with respect to the feeler-lever to engage said feeleriever in' its position at rest upon an underlying surface, means to disengage said clutch means upon the application of an outside force to said nozzle adjusting means to enable said lever to drop onto a supporting surface free from the weight of said body, and means arranged to eifect re-engagement of said clutch means selectively under the control of the surface-contacting portion upon release of the operator-applied force from the nozzle adjusting means and to move said lever to a position as determined by its position when re-engaged by said clutch means, the position of said lever determining the position of said nozzle.

7. In a suction cleaner, a body including a nozzle, a supporting wheel, and means adjustably mounting said wheel with respect to said body to control the position of said nozzle relative to the surface of a floor covering, said means comprising a movable connection between said wheel and said body, a. selectively engageable connection between said body and said movable connection to limit the movement of said wheel in one direction relative to said body, said selectively eingageable connection including a floating surface contacting feeler-connected to one part thereof and adapted to rest on the surface of a floor covering when said nozzle is to be adjusted, said adjustable connection including spring means arranged to'bias said adjustable wheel in one direction relative to said body, and manually operable means to increase the stress on said spring and disengage said selectively engageable connection momentarily to permit said feeler to rest on said floor covering and support said one part a predetermined distance thereabove, said selectively engageable connection being operable under power from said stressed spring as said man-' ually operable means is released to re-engage at a point dependent on the position of said feeler relative to the cleaner body and adjust said supporting wheel with respect to said body. 8. In a suction cleaner, a body including a nozzle, a supporting wheel, vertically adjustable means mounting said wheel on said body, a first and a second lever pivoted to said body, selectively engageable clutch means interconnecting said levers normally operative to prevent relative movement therebetween in one direction, said first lever having an end positioned to adjust said wheel in one direction, spring means interconnecting said body and said second lever and operative through said clutch and said first lever to bias said wheel in said one direction, said flrst lever having a feeler portion adapted to rest on a floor covering when said clutch is disengaged, and means to disengage said clutch momentarily to permit said feeler to rest on said floor covering and to re-engage said clutch while said feeler is in said rest position.

9. A suction cleaner as deflned in the preceding claim including means providing a lost motion connection between said body and said second lever.

10. In a suction cleaner, a body including a nozzle, rear wheel means for said body, a pair of front wheels, means movably connecting 'said front wheels to said body, selectively adjustable means interposed between said movable front wheels and said body including a spring operable to bias said front wheels in one direction relative to said body, said selectively adjustable means including a releasable feeler arranged to rest on the surface of a floor covering independent of the cleaner weight andto take a position relative to said cleaner body which is dependent upon the penetration of one of said wheels into said floor covering, and means for disconnecting said selectively adjustable means from said front wheels and for releasing said feeler momentarily whereby said selectively adjustable connection is reset in accordance with the weight supporting characteristics of the floor covering said selectively adjustable means including means to re-position said front wheels in accordance with the reset position thereof.

11. In a suction cleaner, a body having a suction nozzle, a supporting wheel adapted for adjustment vertically to raise or lower the nozzle relative to the surface to be cleaned, a feeler element pivoted to said cleaner normally held in a retracted position and releasable to float on the surface covering independent of the weight of said cleaner, and wheel positioning means including a selectively engageable clutch associated with said feeler element normally operable to hold said supporting wheel and nozzle in an adjusted position, said positioning means being operable to move said wheel a predetermined increment relative to said nozzle after said clutch re-engages'as determined by the angular position of said released feeler relative to said body, and means to disengage said clutch and release said feeler momentarily.

12. In a suction cleaner, a body having a suction nozzle and supporting wheels, at least one of said wheels being adjustable vertically to raise or lower said nozzle with respect to the surface to be cleaned, means for adjusting said nozzle while the-weight distribution to said supporting wheels is substantially the same as when the cleaner is at rest on the surface to be cleaned, said means comprising an adjustable connection between said adjustable wheel and said nozzle, a selectively engageable clutch mechanism including a feeler, said feeler being releasable to float ,ing to a proper operating height above a surface to be cleaned comprising resilient means connecting one of said wheels to said body so that said wheel is vertically adjustable with respect thereto, said resilient means being inadequate by itself to support the entire load on said one wheel, selectively adjustable means interposed between said one wheel and said body including spring means supplementing said resilient means and cooperable therewith to support the entire load normally carried by said one wheel, said adjustable means including a feeler element movably mounted on said cleaner and operable when released to float on the surface being cleaned independent of the cleaner weight, and manually operable means for increasing the stress on said spring means, releasing said feeler and disengaging said adjustable connection momentarily whereby upon release of said manually operable means power from said stressed spring causes said selectively engageable connection to re-engage in a position dependent upon the relative position between said body and said released feeler and to adjust said one supporting wheel with respect to said body.

14. The combination with a suction cleaner having a body including a suction nozzle and supporting wheels, of semiautomatic means for selectively adjusting the plane of the nozzle opening to a proper operating height above a surface to be cleaned comprising resilient means connecting one of said wheels to said body so that said wheel is vertically adjustable with respect thereto, a supplemental adjustable connection including selectively engageable clutch means between said one wheel and said body operable to lock said wheel and body in a selected position in which said nozzle is adjusted to a particular position with respect to the surface being cleaned, said adjustable connection including a ieeler operable when released to float on the surface being cleaned independent of the cleaner Weight, means operable to disengage said clutch means and release said feeler, said feeler when released being operable to adjust said selectively engageable clutch means in accordance with the penetration of one of said supporting wheels in a surface covering as determined by said floating feeler and means to re-position said one wheel in accordance with the adjusted position of said selectively engageable clutch means.

15. In combination with a suction cleaner, a wheeled support therefor comprising at least one rear wheel and one front wheel, means to support one of said wheels adjustably with respect to said cleaner, said adjustable support including a clutch mechanism normally maintaining a predetermined adjustment between said cleaner and said one wheel, manually operable means to disengage said clutch mechanism. and to re-engage it in a position dependent upon the cleaner supporting characteristics of the floor covering on which the cleaner is resting, said manually operable means including a feeler pivoted to said cleaner and arranged to be released upon disengagement of said clutch for free pivotal contact with the surface of said floor covering independent of the cleaner weight, and means interconnecting said clutch and said feeler and operative to modify the adjustment of said one wheel with respect to said cleaner dependent upon the angular position of said feeler when in contact with the surface of a floor covering.

16. The combination with a suction cleaner having a body including a suction nozzle and supporting wheels, of semiautomatic means for selectively adjusting the plane of the nozzle opening to a proper operating height above a surface to be cleaned comprising spring means connecting one of said wheels to said body so that said wheel is vertically adjustable with respect thereto, said spring means being more than adequate to support the entire load on said one wheel. selectively adjustable means interposed between said one wheel and said body to lock said one wheel and said body in a predetermined position in opposition to said spring means, said adjustable means including a feeler element movably mounted on said cleaner and operable when released to float on the surface being cleaned independent of the cleaner weight, and manually operable means for increasing the stress on said spring means, releasing said feeler and disengaging said adjustable connection momentarily whereby upon release of said manually operable means, power from said stressed spring causes said selectively adjustable connection to re-engage in a position dependent upon the relative position between said body and said released feeler and to adjust said one supporting wheel with respect to said body.

17. The combination with a suction cleaner having a body including a suction nozzle and supporting wheels, of me'ansfor selectively adjusting the plane of the nozzle opening to a proper operating height above a surface to be cleaned comprising vertically movable mounting means for one of said wheels spring biased away from said cleaner body, selectively adjustable means interconnecting said mounting means and said body operable to limit the movement of the mounting means away from said body under the influence of said spring, said selectively adjustable means including a clutch operable to disengage when said wheels are moved toward said body to compress said spring, and a feeler arranged to float on the top of the surface cover-v ing independent of the cleaner weight when said clutch is disengaged and operable to control the point at which said clutch re-engages under the influence of said compressed spring and in accordance with the penetration of one of said wheels below the top of said surface covering as determined by said feeler.

18. The combination defined in the preceding claim including a cleaner propelling handle, and means for disengaging said clutch in response to a downward force on said handle.

. HARRY 13. WHITE.

a flle of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,063,061 Sparklin Dec. 8, 1936 2,063,062 Sparklin Dec. 8, 1936 2,167,785. Taylor Aug. 1, 1939 2,178,006 Taylor Oct. 31, 1939 2,343,227 Sellers et al Feb. 29, 1944 2,379,316 Osborn June 26, 1945 

